The Goose-girl

: The Blue Fairy Book

Once upon a time an old queen, whose husband had

been dead for many years, had a beautiful daughter.

When she grew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived

a great way off. Now, when the time drew near for her

to be married and to depart into a foreign kingdom, her

old mother gave her much costly baggage, and many

ornaments, gold and silver, trinkets and knicknacks, and,

in fact, everything that belonged to a royal trousseau,

for she loved her daughter very dearly. She gave her a

waiting-maid also, who was to ride with her and hand her

over to the bridegroom, and she provided each of them

with a horse for the journey. Now the Princess's horse was

called Falada, and could speak.



When the hour for departure drew near the old mother

went to her bedroom, and taking a small knife she cut her

fingers till they bled; then she held a white rag under

them, and letting three drops of blood fall into it, she

gave it to her daughter, and said: "Dear child, take great

care of this rag: it may be of use to you on the journey."



So they took a sad farewell of each other, and the

Princess stuck the rag in front of her dress, mounted her

horse, and set forth on the journey to her bridegroom's

kingdom. After they had ridden for about an hour the

Princess began to feel very thirsty, and said to her

waiting-maid: "Pray get down and fetch me some water in

my golden cup out of yonder stream: I would like a

drink." "If you're thirsty," said the maid, "dismount

yourself, and lie down by the water and drink; I don't mean

to be your servant any longer." The Princess was so

thirsty that she got down, bent over the stream, and

drank, for she wasn't allowed to drink out of the golden

goblet. As she drank she murmured: "Oh! heaven, what

am I to do?" and the three drops of blood replied:



"If your mother only knew,

Her heart would surely break in two."



But the Princess was meek, and said nothing about her

maid's rude behavior, and quietly mounted her horse

again. They rode on their way for several miles, but the

day was hot, and the sun's rays smote fiercely on them,

so that the Princess was soon overcome by thirst again.

And as they passed a brook she called once more to her

waiting-maid: "Pray get down and give me a drink from

my golden cup," for she had long ago forgotten her maid's

rude words. But the waiting-maid replied, more haughtily

even than before: "If you want a drink, you can dismount

and get it; I don't mean to be your servant." Then the

Princess was compelled by her thirst to get down, and

bending over the flowing water she cried and said: "Oh!

heaven, what am I to do?" and the three drops of blood

replied:



"If your mother only knew,

Her heart would surely break in two."



And as she drank thus, and leaned right over the water,

the rag containing the three drops of blood fell from her

bosom and floated down the stream, and she in her anxiety

never even noticed her loss. But the waiting-maid

had observed it with delight, as she knew it gave her

power over the bride, for in losing the drops of blood the

Princess had become weak and powerless. When she

wished to get on her horse Falada again, the waiting-maid

called out: "I mean to ride Falada: you must mount

my beast"; and this too she had to submit to. Then the

waiting-maid commanded her harshly to take off her

royal robes, and to put on her common ones, and finally

she made her swear by heaven not to say a word about

the matter when they reached the palace; and if she

hadn't taken this oath she would have been killed on the

spot. But Falada observed everything, and laid it all to

heart.



The waiting-maid now mounted Falada, and the real

bride the worse horse, and so they continued their journey

till at length they arrived at the palace yard. There was

great rejoicing over the arrival, and the Prince sprang

forward to meet them, and taking the waiting-maid for

his bride, he lifted her down from her horse and led her

upstairs to the royal chamber. In the meantime the real

Princess was left standing below in the courtyard. The

old King, who was looking out of his window, beheld her

in this plight, and it struck him how sweet and gentle,

even beautiful, she looked. He went at once to the royal

chamber, and asked the bride who it was she had brought

with her and had left thus standing in the court below.

"Oh!" replied the bride, "I brought her with me to keep

me company on the journey; give the girl something to do,

that she may not be idle." But the old King had no work

for her, and couldn't think of anything; so he said, "I've

a small boy who looks after the geese, she'd better help

him." The youth's name was Curdken, and the real bride

was made to assist him in herding geese.



Soon after this the false bride said to the Prince:

"Dearest husband, I pray you grant me a favor." He

answered: "That I will." "Then let the slaughterer cut

off the head of the horse I rode here upon, because it

behaved very badly on the journey." But the truth was she

was afraid lest the horse should speak and tell how she

had treated the Princess. She carried her point, and the

faithful Falada was doomed to die. When the news came

to the ears of the real Princess she went to the slaughterer,

and secretly promised him a piece of gold if he would do

something for her. There was in the town a large dark

gate, through which she had to pass night and morning

with the geese; would he "kindly hang up Falada's head

there, that she might see it once again?" The slaughterer

said he would do as she desired, chopped off the head, and

nailed it firmly over the gateway.



Early next morning, as she and Curdken were driving

their flock through the gate, she said as she passed under:

"Oh! Falada, 'tis you hang there";



and the head replied:



" 'Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:

If your mother only knew,

Her heart would surely break in two."



Then she left the tower and drove the geese into a field.

And when they had reached the common where the geese

fed she sat down and unloosed her hair, which was of pure

gold. Curdken loved to see it glitter in the sun, and wanted

much to pull some hair out. Then she spoke:



"Wind, wind, gently sway,

Blow Curdken's hat away;

Let him chase o'er field and wold

Till my locks of ruddy gold,

Now astray and hanging down,

Be combed and plaited in a crown."





Then a gust of wind blew Curdken's hat away, and he

had to chase it over hill and dale. When he returned from

the pursuit she had finished her combing and curling, and

his chance of getting any hair was gone. Curdken was

very angry, and wouldn't speak to her. So they herded

the geese till evening and then went home.



The next morning, as they passed under the gate, the

girl said:



"Oh! Falada, 'tis you hang there";



and the head replied:



" 'Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:

If your mother only knew,

Her heart would surely break in two."



Then she went on her way till she came to the common,

where she sat down and began to comb out her hair; then

Curdken ran up to her and wanted to grasp some of the

hair from her head, but she called out hastily:



"Wind, wind, gently sway,

Blow Curdken's hat away;

Let him chase o'er field and wold

Till my locks of ruddy gold,

Now astray and hanging down,

Be combed and plaited in a crown."





Then a puff of wind came and blew Curdken's hat far

away, so that he had to run after it; and when he returned

she had long finished putting up her golden locks, and he

couldn't get any hair; so they watched the geese till it was

dark.



But that evening when they got home Curdken went to

the old King, and said: "I refuse to herd geese any longer

with that girl." "For what reason?" asked the old King.

"Because she does nothing but annoy me all day long,"

replied Curdken; and he proceeded to relate all her

iniquities, and said: "Every morning as we drive the flock

through the dark gate she says to a horse's head that

hangs on the wall:



"'Oh! Falada, 'tis you hang there';



and the head replies:



"''Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:

If your mother only knew,

Her heart would surely break in two.'"





And Curdken went on to tell what passed on the common

where the geese fed, and how he had always to chase

his hat.



The old King bade him go and drive forth his flock as

usual next day; and when morning came he himself took

up his position behind the dark gate, and heard how the

goose-girl greeted Falada. Then he followed her through

the field, and hid himself behind a bush on the common.

He soon saw with his own eyes how the goose-boy and the

goose-girl looked after the geese, and how after a time the

maiden sat down and loosed her hair, that glittered like

gold, and repeated:



"Wind, wind, gently sway,

Blow Curdken's hat away;

Let him chase o'er field and wold

Till my locks of ruddy gold

Now astray and hanging down,

Be combed and plaited in a crown."



Then a gust of wind came and blew Curdken's hat away,

so that he had to fly over hill and dale after it, and the girl

in the meantime quietly combed and plaited her hair: all

this the old King observed, and returned to the palace

without anyone having noticed him. In the evening when

the goose-girl came home he called her aside, and asked

her why she behaved as she did. "I may not tell you why;

how dare I confide my woes to anyone? for I swore not to

by heaven, otherwise I should have lost my life." The

old King begged her to tell him all, and left her no peace,

but he could get nothing out of her. At last he said:

"Well, if you won't tell me, confide your trouble to the

iron stove there," and he went away. Then she crept to

the stove, and began to sob and cry and to pour out her

poor little heart, and said: "Here I sit, deserted by all the

world, I who am a king's daughter, and a false waiting-maid

has forced me to take off my own clothes, and has

taken my place with my bridegroom, while I have to fulfill

the lowly office of goose-girl.



"If my mother only knew

Her heart would surely break in two."





But the old King stood outside at the stove chimney,

and listened to her words. Then he entered the room

again, and bidding her leave the stove, he ordered royal

apparel to be put on her, in which she looked amazingly

lovely. Then he summoned his son, and revealed to him

that he had got the false bride, who was nothing but a

waiting-maid, while the real one, in the guise of the

ex-goose-girl, was standing at his side. The young King

rejoiced from his heart when he saw her beauty and learned

how good she was, and a great banquet was prepared, to

which everyone was bidden. The bridegroom sat at the

head of the table, the Princess on one side of him and the

waiting-maid on the other; but she was so dazzled that

she did not recognize the Princess in her glittering

garments. Now when they had eaten and drunk, and were

merry, the old King asked the waiting-maid to solve a

knotty point for him. "What," said he, "should be done

to a certain person who has deceived everyone?" and he

proceeded to relate the whole story, ending up with,

"Now what sentence should be passed?" Then the false

bride answered: "She deserves to be put stark naked into

a barrel lined with sharp nails, which should be dragged

by two white horses up and down the street till she is

dead."



"You are the person," said the King, "and you have

passed sentence on yourself; and even so it shall be done

to you." And when the sentence had been carried out the

young King was married to his real bride, and both

reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness.[1]